A Systematic Literature Review on BIPOC Parent Outcomes of Autistic Children

Presenter

Mia Tittmann

Campus

UMass Amherst

Sponsor

Ashley Woodman, Department of Psychology, UMass Amherst

Schedule

Session 5, 3:30 PM - 4:15 PM [Schedule by Time][Poster Grid for Time/Location]

Location

Poster Board A96, Campus Center Auditorium, Row 5 (A81-A100) [Poster Location Map]

Abstract

The demands of a parent are infinite. From teaching social skills, emotional coping, and help with schooling, children require full-time support. Parents of autistic children experience these demands in a unique way. Parents seek resources, like support groups, to better understand how to be a parent to an autistic child. It is important to learn what these parents experience as a means to improve resources, support, and further research. There is a substantial research base on parent stress levels, risk of depression, and prevalence of anxiety among parents of autistic children. There is substantially less research, however, specific to the experience of Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) parenting autistic children. Much of the current literature either does not report race/ethnicity or only has a small number of BIPOC participants. The present systematic literature review will analyze what the current research has concluded about BIPOC parents’ experiences. The methods of this systematic literature review will involve searching databases of peer-reviewed articles with specific key terms related to BIPOC parents of autistic children. The articles will be coded for basic information (e.g., year of publication) and themes that relate to parent outcomes. Anticipated findings are that BIPOC parents experience higher levels of stress, a decreased sense of community, and feel more unsupported by resources compared to non-BIPOC parents. The significance of the results lies in giving context to professionals working with such families and improving quality of care in services like support and education.

Keywords

autism spectrum disorder (ASD), parent outcomes, Black, Indigenous people of color (BIPOC)

Research Area

Disability Studies

SIMILAR ABSTRACTS (BY KEYWORD)